The State Transport Authority (STA) of Odisha began a two-month special enforcement campaign on Tuesday to increase safety, lessen accidents, and prevent fatalities across the state.
According to Lalmohan Sethi, Additional Commissioner for Transport, Enforcement and Road Safety, action will be taken against driving without a helmet and seat belts, driving while intoxicated, driving too fast, using a cellphone while driving, driving by minors, checking the vehicle’s roadworthiness, driving on the wrong side of the road, driving without a registration mark, and dangerous parking.
Near accident-prone areas and significant intersections of NHs and state highways, he said, the special enforcement drives will be carried out in collaboration with the police.
According to statistics on traffic accidents, the winter months, particularly November to February, are responsible for around 30% of all crashes in the state. This is due to poor visibility during these months brought on by fog and smog.
Additionally, there are more vehicles on the road because more people are travelling to picnic areas and tourist attractions during the state’s holiday season, which includes Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
According to the research, there are also more accidents and fatalities during this time due to intoxicated driving and excessive speeding.
Accordingly, a specific enforcement campaign has been started to instil in road users a sense of accountability for preventing fatalities and accidents on the roads throughout the winter, according to Sethi.
Due to ongoing enforcement efforts, he continued, people observe the law in urban areas but regrettably do not do so in rural areas or along national routes, where protection is actually far more necessary.
According to Sethi, more accidents and fatalities have been reported in rural areas than in metropolitan areas, and the majority of these accidents happened on NHs.
He urged drivers to observe traffic laws and be mindful of their safety when operating a vehicle.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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